Answer
by Small Tuesday
Summary: [ShanksMakino oneshot] A question, a departure. Sealed with a kiss.


**Answer **

**Disclaimer:** Standard disclaimer applies. This fiction is a bit long for such an underrated couple as this. I've been dying to write one of these for a while now, but missed my chance when school started. Actually, I had this all planned out and I began to write this in late July/early August. However, I got caught up in the world of Naruto, so I kind of forgot about it.

But currently, I have delayed my writing for the Naruto fictions, and saw my oppurtunity to finish and publish this oneshot, so here it is, all edited for you. If you catch any errors or grammatical mistakes, please inform me so I can keep it in mind for my next fiction, hopefully a Zoro/Nami or something or other.

Constructive criticism is appreciated, but flames can burn in Hell.

* * *

A woman stared out the window, her eyes glazed over and her chin resting on her fist. If you looked closely enough at her pearl face, you could see the ocean reflected off her eyes. A light breeze swept in through the open window, filling her nose with the scent of the salty sea. The gust was just enough to gently let several wisps of hair to flutter, and then tickle her face. 

"Captain," she said calmly, making no sign of movement. A shifting motion could be sensed in the corner of the room, and a red haired man strode over to the lady. Nearly inaudibly, he seated himself beside her.

"Makino. How did you know it was me?" he said. She shrugged, not turning around. He gazed at her, and let her figure sink into his mind. She shifted uncomfortably. Fidgeting, she tucked a loosed strand of hair behind her ear. He let out a heavy sigh, and rotated around in the swiveling stool.

Wandering away from the window, she met a sink of dirty cups. Her look softened, as she turned the knob, and watched the water from the faucet gush out to meet the dishes. She lifted the first glass, and let the water run into it, and she slid her hand slowly in a half moon at the rim of the cup. The musty smell of beer filled her nose.

He watched her, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Makino, why do you act like this? Why can't you act as comfortable as when the rest of the crew is here?" She stiffened, and the sound of water running was the only thing that could be heard.

"You don't feel at ease with me, but you do with the rest of the men?" he continued, truly stressed about this idea. "You don't like me?" Makino said nothing, and resumed running her hand against the cups. Shanks absentmindedly picked up a rag, and started wiping the table in large, full circles.

"Are you afraid of me?" he offered. Makino turned off the faucet and turned to him, looking at him directly in the eye.

"I'm not afraid, Captain," she answered simply. He leaned against the table, his arms propping himself up, and his lazy gaze fixed its self on the barmaid. She stared back defiantly, her chin jutting out slightly. He smiled.

"There we go. Back to normal. Now all we have to fix is the name," he responded. A smirk had settled on the pirate's attractive features. Makino scowled for being caught.

"What did you come for, Captain?" she asked grudgingly. He grinned, and swaggered over to where the girl was.

"I just came to say that we're leaving," he informed her, watching with an amused look as a shocked expression washed over her face. "Tomorrow," he added. "I want you to help me break it to the kid tomorrow." They both knew who 'the kid' was.

She fidgeted with her apron. "Why? Do you have to go? Don't you like it here?" she asked finally. Shanks beamed.

"I knew you cared!" he exclaimed, sidling up to the girl. She blushed profusely as he looped an arm around her shoulders. She attempted to swat his hand away, but not much effort was put into it. The man chuckled, tipping his infamous straw hat over his eyes.

"So what if I do?" she answered faultily. "I can care for a…friend, can't I?"

"You think of me only as a friend?" he responded, feigning hurt. "You seem more than a bit concerned," he chortled. She glared at him, and with a huff, rotated her body around, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Don't you **ever **joke about something like that again!" she lectured. He smiled smugly at her, as if she just proved his point. She then hastily added, "It would make Luffy so upset." She looked down, quite flustered.

Shanks' friendly eyes dimmed, and his merry expression faltered. He lifted the brim of his hat, peeked underneath, lifting her chin up for her to face him. "Makino…I'm afraid that I wasn't joking." A wave of realization crashed upon her thoughts. Her eyes pierced his heart with a pathetic expression.

"What do you mean?" she whimpered. He looked down at her smooth features, and he released his hold on her chin. He turned his face to the side, as if ashamed, and his arms fell to his sides. Taking a deep breath, he faced her again.

"I mean exactly what I said, Makino. We're leaving. We've been here far too long, and I think it's about time we find a new base. Otherwise, we'll put this place in danger when the marines come," he answered in melancholy, sweeping his arm around the bar. It halted at the window, where he pointed to the cheery, bustling town. Makino shook her head stubbornly.

"You can't leave!" she cried. "Luffy…" she trailed off. Shanks removed his arm from around her shoulder, and sat back in his chair, glaring at the ceiling.

"Don't make it any harder than it is already, Makino. I feel remorse at just thinking about it," he replied. She looked at him with a pained glance.

"But Luffy will miss you so much…" she protested weakly, recycling the young boy's name for the sake of her unhappiness. Shanks glanced at her mournfully. She felt an urge to collapse in a heap and bawl at the moment, but she kept that inside.

"Is the kid going to be the only one who's going to miss me?" he asked, and left before she could answer.

- - -

Makino cursed herself angrily, as she bent over the sink and washed her face for what seemed the hundredth time. She glowered at herself in the mirror, frowning reproachfully at the baggy red eyes.

It was a good thing that the Chief chef let her off early today, or else the daily customers would never come again. Her unholy wrath was causing their guests to cower in fear behind the tables, and they held up unusually large sums of cash just to let themselves go unharmed.

The Chief had arrived in the midst of Makino glaring at a noisy customer, and banging glasses around uncharacteristically. He immediately sent her home for being ill. The normal Makino was sweet and kind and gentle. This devil of an imposter was anything but the aforementioned.

Makino threw herself on the bed, her face hitting the pillow. "Darn that pirate captain," she whined, her pillow muffling her words. She lifted her face.

"_Is the kid going to be the only one who's going to miss me?"_

She punched her pillow, and grumbled, "Why did he have to ask me?" She swiveled her head toward the window. A happy looking young lad skipped down the road, his black hair tousled and a basket of some sort in his hands.

Behind him were two men, one chubby and gnawing on a chicken drumstick, and the other tall with a long black ponytail, holding a gun as long as her own arm. She grinned behind her tears, and ran downstairs, just as three loud knocks were heard at the door. She took a moment to collect herself, than opened the door wide.

"Luffy! Ben! Lucky Roo! How nice to see you!" she said jovially. The two pirates nodded their heads in acknowledgement, but Ben's gaze lingered on her puffy eyes, and frowned. However, Luffy stuck his hand out, and handed her the straw basket. She lifted the red-and-white-checkered handkerchief and she instantly smiled at what she saw.

Obviously, Luffy had gone through much trouble to make these _onigiri _for her, and they looked really good. She grinned at the boy, and invited them in.

"Come on in, let me get you some tea. Or would you prefer beer?" she asked. Luffy screamed for hot chocolate, and Lucky Roo waved his drumstick in the air, before munching on it, indicating he wanted chicken. Ben nodded as she looked at him, and she suspected that meant that tea was fine. She went back into the kitchen to prepare the appetizers.

She peeked out the kitchen door as she was making the chicken. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked, out of courtesy and also as a distraction from the fact that she was upset. Three different responses came back to her. Luffy jumped up and down, Lucky Roo nodded furiously, and Ben shook his head and replied, "No, we don't want to cause any trouble."

Makino smiled at Ben. "Sorry, Ben, but it looks like you're outvoted." Ben chuckled, and Makino turned back to the additional pastries she was making. She glanced over at the basket, tempted to try some of the treats Luffy had made for her. She shook her head at herself, and told herself to be patient, and that she could indulge later.

As she brought out the drinks and food, she asked, "Why did you guys come to visit me?" Ben looked at the other two. They were busy gobbling down the scrumptious snacks.

He shrugged. "You weren't at the bar today, and we were worried. It wasn't nearly as fun, says the kid," he informed her. Luffy leaped up indignantly.

"It wasn't!" he protested, apparently embarrassed at his confession. Ben lazily looked at the boy and took a long drag of his cigarette. Luffy pounded his little fists on the mountainous man's chest. Makino blinked at the two, and burst out laughing. Luffy stopped, and Ben popped a pastry in his mouth.

Lucky Roo spoke between large helpings of chicken. "Captain Shanks…was worried…about you…too," he said, licking his fingers after finishing the greasy thigh. "He said the booze wasn't as good." Makino cocked her head in surprise.

"Really?" she said, curious. The trio nodded. "Oh…" she said. Luffy jumped into the conversation.

"Yeah, and without you there, there's no one to tell him to stop teasing me!" he cried. Ben smirked, and doused the cigarette on the sole of his shoe. He drank a sip of tea, and swished it around in his mouth.

"If I recall correctly," he said in his low, rumbling voice, "he said that there wasn't any pretty ladies around to entertain us." Makino blushed, and Lucky Roo added, "But he was drunk."

Makino nodded in understanding, and stood up to put the dirty plate that had minutes ago had a chicken on it, in the sink. Ben stood up, causing her to stop at the door.

"Where are you going, Ben?" she asked.

"To get the rest of the crew, of course. You can't really expect us to stay for dinner without the others, can you?" he replied.

- - -

Makino heaved a large outtake of breath, and tossed her bottle of beer into the pile of broken ones. She was now officially drunk.

"Good grief," she exclaimed as she sprawled on the couch lazily, "you guys are trashing my house! You better expect to stay to clean up this mess." She shook her head at the dump they had made of her house. Upstairs, she heard the pounding of footsteps as the pirates chased each other for the last bottle of beer.

The crew laughed merrily, eyes twinkling. "Oh, Makino. It's a party! Don't be such a spoilsport!" they hollered. They were doing a little jig in the center of the room, arms around each other's shoulders, forming a line and dancing something similar to the cancan.

Makino frowned playfully, and smacked the one at the end of the line on the back lightly. They all pretended to stumble forward clumsily, tripping over their feet and falling on the ground in a heap.

Shanks grabbed a foaming cup of beer, and toasted the crew. "To a safe journey onward!" he slurred nearly incomprehensibly. Makino put a finger to her lips and pointed at the sleeping Luffy. Shanks bellowed his response.

"Let 'im hear!" he shouted, throwing his head back, and his hat fell off his head. Makino threw her hand over the man's mouth, and shot him a warning glance. He gave her a smug look, and pried her hand off.

"I was kidding, Makino," he said in amusement, scooping up his hat, and slapping onto his head. Makino narrowed her eyes at him.

"That was pretty loud kidding Captain," she sniffed. Shanks grinned like a cat, and picked up Luffy, swinging the boy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Makino put her hands on her hips, and let her flaming gaze land on the man's eyes.

"Now what are you going to do, Captain!" she shrieked, exasperated and fuming. You could literally see steam smoking from her ears. She raised her fist, ready to pound the pirate captain's head. Shanks looked at her, and held a finger to his lips.

"I'm taking the kid home," he whispered softly. Makino paused mid-strike, and lowered it slowly. She turned her head down in shame.

"I'm sorry, Captain," she murmured, all signs of alcohol vanishing. She was once again the demure, polite lady from the bar. Shanks grinned.

"There's the Makino I know. Will you assist me?" he asked. Makino flushed, and nodded quickly. They exited the house.

Ben, who had been observing at the back of the room, took a drag of his cigarette.

- - -

"I'm sorry, Captain," Makino apologized for what seemed the umpteenth time. She was jogging to keep up with the pace that Shanks was walking at. He sighed and turned around to face the barmaid.

"Makino…I already said it's all right. It was a joke, and I took part in it too. Second, stop calling me Captain. Call me Shanks. Only the people on my ship can call me Captain," he told her. She huffed.

"Then I'll just have to join your crew then," she shot back, her chin jutting out again. He gave her a long, hard look, and grabbed her chin. Yanking it down, he leaned his face in real close. Luffy's legs dangled between them.

"That's not a bad idea, Makino." The closeness of his face intimidated her. It was _intimately _close. He stared at her, sneering.

Makino looked back defiantly. Their heavy breathing was visible in the chilly air, making puffs of steam. He closed the gap between them to a small centimeter, until their lips were lightly touching.

"Is this considered kissing?" Makino whispered. Shanks shrugged, and answered, "Do you want to find out?" Makino paused. Shanks took that for a yes.

Makino felt his lips pressing firmly onto her own. She didn't know how to describe it. It was gentle. No, it was hard. Actually, it was sweet. Couldn't be, they were in the middle of an argument, right? She couldn't even remember what they had been upset over. Really though, she didn't care. She reached up to loop her arms around his neck, but was stopped by Luffy's foot in the way.

Shanks gently lifted her off his tall frame. She scowled, and glared at the little boy's leg. Shanks shook his head at her, and they continued heading toward Luffy's home. The silence was making Makino nervous. She had never kissed a man before. Heck, she had never even been this close to a man before. Her heart was thumping at an erratic pace.

They turned a corner, and Shanks' sleeve brushed against her bare skin. She shivered slightly, and Shanks mistook it for being cold. He stopped abruptly, and Makino halted. She looked at him expectantly. He shifted Luffy over to remove his black cloak and placed it on her shoulder. She looked at him, and said, "Thanks…"

When they finally arrived at the kid's house, Makino half grimaced. His mother peered outside, and looked slightly frightened when she saw the pirate, but Makino smiled assuredly at her. Shanks tipped his hat politely at her. The mother hurriedly shuffled away with her son, and Makino shut the door. They stood in front of the house, staring at the door for a while. They slowly rotated and began the journey back to Makino's house.

"Don't you hate when people treat you like barbarians?" she asked, a little irritated at the mother's rude behavior. Shanks looked at her, then turned to focus his attention back on the road. He sighed.

"We get used to it. It's a side effect of becoming a pirate. Civilians think you're scandalous and try to avoid you, and when you approach them, they uneasily greet you, then flee," he answered, his tone lowering.

"How can you still be so friendly?" she interrogated. How were they so calm and boisterous, despite the obvious distaste radiating off the townsfolk? Shanks made no response.

Makino's left hand meandered toward the warmth of the male's firm one, as for comfort. Surprisingly, he accepted it. She felt the calluses on his palm, and ran her fingers over them. Shanks flinched, his expression contorting into a look of pain for a moment. Makino's hand shot back down to her side. It stayed there for the rest of the trip. "Sorry," she whispered.

Shanks did not reply. He stuck his arm inside his cape, and let it dangle at his side.

When they reached her house, Makino paused at the door. She opened the door and saw that all the men were all over her couches. The sides of her lips curved upward into a smile. She went to retrieve blankets from the hallway closet, and laid them over the men. As she was spreading a blanket across Ben's chest, his eyes flew open. Makino drew back, startled at his sudden awakening. He jolted up, and clapped his hands. Immediately, all the crew woke up.

Upon seeing Makino, they promptly started to scramble to pick up bottles. Makino giggled as they clumsily maneuvered around the furniture to pick up trash and brush away the broken glass.

"You can stay here tonight, if you would like," she offered, sweeping her gaze over all of the pirates. They looked back up at her and turned their hopeful looks at the captain. "Captain?"

He pondered a moment, and shook his head. "No. I don't want to cause any trouble for you," he replied firmly. Makino protested.

"Really, it's no trouble at all! I mean…" she paused, trying to find the right words. "It's the least I could do after you have been so kind to me…us." She weakly gathered her courage to finish her thoughts. "I want to do a favor for you, since you're leaving."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Gloom was evident on the faces of the men in the room. Shanks looked at her for a moment, and repeated the motion of shaking his head. "No, Makino. We couldn't do that." Looking at her crestfallen expression, he added hastily, "Sorry." She halfheartedly nodded at him.

Shanks looked at the mess they made, and started to move to clean it up, setting his hat aside as to not get it dirty. However, Makino sidestepped and blocked his way, and said she would clean it up. The other pirates also took a step forward to begin cleaning again, but Makino refused to let them.

"I'll clean up the mess," she insisted, and gently escorted them to the exit. After shoving them out the doorway, she waved cheerily, and closed the door behind them. The pirates blinked a few times to absorb their surroundings, but hurriedly quickened their pace as the captain barked an order at them.

- - -

"What was that all about?" whispered Makino as she leaned against the door, gently sliding down on her back. She fell onto the floor with a flop, and stared at the white wall at the other end of the room. Memories slowly seeped into the pores of her mind, and she shifted uncomfortably. A small dirty yellow object could be seen at the corner of her eye. She curiously walked toward it, and when she realized what the object was, she blessed her peripheral vision. It was Shanks' straw hat.

As she brushed her hand over it's stiff material, she recalled a time when Luffy had dumped milk over Shanks' hat, and Shanks hadn't spoken to Luffy for an hour. She chuckled. This was Shanks' most prized possession. She set it on top of the table, and started cleaning up the living room, reminiscing all the times past. Her melancholy took over soon, however, as she remembered that they were going to leave.

Sweeping away the last of the broken glass, she wiped her sweaty brow, and started up the stairs, then paused. She glanced at the hat, and imagined Shanks bellowing where it was, and changed her mind, grabbing a black cloak, and twirling over her shoulders. Picking up the hat, she walked out of the door.

Strolling down the dark and empty street, she remembered the day when they first met.

_Luffy had come hollering that there was a large ship coming into the harbor. The townsfolk laughed, and informed him that it was normal, for they were a port at the coast. Ships often came into town. Luffy was out of breath, and couldn't manage to get out the second part of his statement. _

_Makino had taken him to get a glass of water to soothe his throat, and giggled at his childish behavior. But before Luffy finished his drink, the double doors of the bar swung open, and in walked a herd of pirates, the mayor trying to block their path. Makino stared, and Luffy pointed at them._

"Pirates!"_ he yelled, running around in little circles around a round table. Makino caught his collar, and pushed him behind her back, and protectively shielded him._

"_How can I help you?" she asked warily, eyeing the men. There was a long silence, and the red-haired man had burst out laughing. The rest of the crew had joined in, howling with laughter, and they rolled around and clutched their stomachs. Her eyes had narrowed. _

_The man had walked up to her, and slung his arm over her shoulder. "You're the bravest of all of them, woman. Standing up against pirates. What's your name?" he asked jovially. She looked at him, confused, and answered him truthfully. _

"_Makino." The man grinned, and stuck his hand out. When she offered her own, for she thought it was for a handshake, he took it, and pressed his lips to it. Startled, she had yanked it out of his grasp, and the men laughed at the man. _

"_Shanks, you just got rejected!" they pointed and hooted at the man. He let out a large chuckle. _

"_Makino, get us beer, will you?" he asked politely, as he struggled to contain himself. She stood for a minute, letting Luffy free from her iron grip. The boy peered curiously at them. _

"_Yes Captain," she said obediently, and exited to get a barrel of booze. _

Makino shook herself out of her reverie as she approached the large vessel docked at the port. She inhaled deeply, and strode up the ramp. Hearing footsteps, the two men at the top of the ship glanced down, and called, "Who goes there?" Makino could hear the alcohol in their voices.

"It's me," she answered, lifting herself up onto the deck. They looked at her, then at the object in her hands. No explanation was necessary.

As they brought her to the captain, they said, "He's been yelling up a storm every since we've gotten back. He wants his hat, just like a baby wants his rattle." Makino looked at the item in her possession, and wondered how such a civilized man could throw such a tantrum over such a petty object.

When they entered the room, she saw the man sitting on his chair, legs on the table, and face as scarlet as his hair. Upon hearing the entrance of the three, he scowled. "What are you doing? I told you not to…"

He stopped when he saw Makino, and blinked several times when he saw his treasure lying in her arms. All hostility vanished into thin air.

In three long strides, he reached her and snatched the hat out of her hands. "Thank you," he grunted, and sat down on a small couch for two, patting the seat next to him. Makino shook her head.

"It's three in the morning, Captain. I have to go to bed." She looked doubtful that she was going to sleep. Shanks scowled.

"There's no time to go to sleep. The bar is opening in two hours," he reasoned. Makino nodded. The two crewmembers backed out of the room.

"I guess," she answered, and yawned, flopping down on the couch next to him. She was very aware of the closeness of Shanks, and unconsciously maneuvered herself away from him. He looked at her, confused.

"We've already kissed before, haven't we Makino? Why are you afraid of me?" he asked. Makino flushed pink.

Stuttering, she answered, "Captain…" Shanks grinned, and looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Makino automatically stiffened, and Shanks released his hold on her, sighing.

Makino yawned again, and this time, Shanks yawned too. "Captain?" she mumbled drowsily.

"Yes?"

"Where are you going next?" she asked, stifling another large yawn. Shanks had draped his arm around her again, and this time, she let it rest. Shanks put a fist under his chin, and mused.

"I don't know," he answered. "Anywhere we land, I suppose." Makino's eyelids fell, and she struggled to keep them open. She leaned toward Shanks as her headrest, her head landing on his shoulder.

"Captain?" she asked again, just for the sake of staying awake. He looked at her drooping figure.

"Yes?"

"Remember the first time we met?" she murmured, her eyes getting too heavy to fight against.

"Yes." They both laughed softly, bodies shaking against each other gently. Makino couldn't keep herself awake any longer.

"Captain?"

"Yes?"

"Remember the question you asked me?" Startled, Shanks twisted his head to look at her. He didn't expect to bring up this subject. He racked through his brain to find the right words to say.

"What about it?" he asked carefully. But it was too late, because Makino had already fallen asleep. He sighed in disappointment, and his shoulders dropped. He leaned his head on hers, and closed his eyes.

Somewhere in between musing about Makino and dreaming about their new destination, Shanks fell asleep.

- - -

Makino woke up to the sound of crashing waves. She jolted up, and immediately, Shanks' arm dropped onto the couch. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she stared like a frightened puppy at the captain.

"_How did I get here?_" she wondered to herself, then recalled her rendezvous to her current destination. She quietly picked herself up, and meandered toward the pirate's cluttered desk. Picking up a photo, she saw Shanks, Ben, Lucky Roo, Luffy, Luffy's brother (Ace), and herself smiling up at her. She grinned back at them, and began to shuffle through his papers.

Countless amount of 'Wanted' papers were stacked in the first pile. She noticed that Shanks', the nicest one of them all, in her opinion, had the highest price on his head: One-hundred million berries. She shrugged nonchalantly. He _was _the leader.

Leafing through the second stack, she noted all the signed papers, with many different names. The pirate's vow, she inferred. She smiled at the multiple misspellings that the pirates made, such as spelling "fight" as "fite" and "beer" as "ber".

There was also a bill from a sea-fairing restaurant, called the "Baratie". There were also countless amounts of small slips. Debts, she guessed, and laughed as she recalled the first day, when they had paid with false gold. For pirates, they were pretty poor. Probably, they were too kind-hearted, and didn't have the heart to rob and plunder and steal.

In the third pile, she saw a pressed pansy flower on a page that started with _Journal_. Shanks kept a diary? She picked up the sheet, and squinted to try to read the writing. She noted several words, such as "Luffy" and "Ben" and, surprisingly, her own name. Other than that, the entry was illegible.

Underneath that paper, she saw a letter, this one addressed to Luffy. It had a messily done happy face on it, and a short note written in Shanks' sloppy, right-handed scrawl. She tried to read this too, but she couldn't make it out. She did smile though at the thought.

She gave up trying to read the letters, and organized it briefly, then walked away. If she had not given up, she would have noticed another paper, stuck to Luffy's. This one was titled, "Makino".

Creeping silently out the door, careful to not disturb the man, she quickly spun around, and bumped smack into Ben.

"Ben!" she exclaimed, and Ben put his large hand over her small mouth, similar to the manner she had earlier. He looked at her, than turned his gaze at the carelessly shut door of the captain. He removed his hand.

"What are you doing here?" he said, in his low, gruff voice. Makino blushed.

"Oh, I came here last night to return his hat," she answered, embarrassed. Ben nodded, remembering the man's fuss. "I fell asleep." He raised an eyebrow at the latter statement.

Makino realized what he was thinking, and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to protest, but instead looked down in shame. He probably thought she was something similar to a prostitute now, falling asleep with their captain. How scandalous!

Ben, contrary to thought, was amused. He grinned at the tomato red face of Makino, and instantly knew that nothing had happened. Makino and Shanks were not the type.

"Makino," he said. Makino looked up, and tried her best to avoid his eyes.

"What is it, Ben?"

"It's one hour later than opening time." Makino's pupils dilated, and she sprinted off the deck, and slid down the ramp.

"Thank you, Ben!" she called over her shoulder.

Ben's face held a subtle smile.

- - -

**The Day After**

Makino sighed, for what seemed the umpteenth time. After yesterday's series of events, with Luffy stabbing himself in the face, the mountain bandits, the kidnapping, and the severing of Shanks' arm, she felt that she had had enough adventure to last a lifetime.

She swiveled the chair around to face the sleeping Captain, and twirled her hair around her finger. It was her turn to watch out after the man. Currently, Makino was bored. Just previously, she had struggled to change his bandages without waking him up, and that had turned out to be more difficult then she had imagined.

They were at her house, because of much insistence on her part. Men didn't know how to handle the injured. She had done pretty much everything; comfort him, provide him a room, bandage him, talk to him, and feed him. Shanks was more picky than she had thought he was. At the bar, he seemed to be generous and polite enough, but she discovered that he demanded a lot of attention, and was pretty greedy.

However, she figured he had a good heart. He must be, to save Luffy and sacrifice an arm. So, it was her contribution to take care of him. After all, he had saved their town.

Secretly, Makino wanted him to stay injured longer, partly because she sort of liked his company around the house, and partly because she didn't want them all to leave.

Glancing over at the little table at his bedside, Makino saw the straw hat. It was battered and wet, and she could see little holes at the top. She frowned, and got out the little sewing kit from underneath the bed he was resting on. Taking out a needle and thread, she started patching the hat.

Shanks awakened just as she started. After blinking several times, and complaining of hunger, he glanced over to see what she was doing.

"Hello, Makino." Makino looked up from her repair job, and stared at him.

"Oh, hello Captain. How are you feeling?" She hoped he was feeling less than well. Shanks flexed.

"Ah, I think I'm doing okay. I think I might get up and walk around a bit today." So much for secret will power. Makino sighed, and finished her sewing. She held up her work for him to see. He applauded.

"Are you sure?" she asked, careful in selecting her words, so that she only sounded like a doting mother, not like a worried lover. Shanks nodded, oblivious to her inner turmoil.

"Hmm. Do you think I'm in good enough shape to visit the crew?" he asked, scratching his chin.

Makino automatically answered, "No." She cared for his health, but also because she didn't want him to leave yet. She didn't bother to try to sort these emotions. "They'll be visiting later."

Shanks raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I feel fine." Makino nodded.

"According to the doctor, you're not ready to leave yet," she fibbed. Actually, the doctor was too scared of pirates to even think about saving Shanks. But how would the captain know?

However, lying was not one of Makino's strong suites. Since Shanks had known her for one year already, he knew when she lied. She always lifted her hand and touched her hair. Not to mention Shanks had one time too many tried to bring a dying man to the doctor, only to be refused.

"You're lying to me, Makino," Shanks stated, shaking his head in disapproval. Makino looked at her lap, mentally lecturing herself for making such a foolish excuse.

"How did you know?" she squeaked. She fidgeted with her hair.

"I've known you for a year, Makino. I _should_ know." Makino was shamed to silence. "Besides, you know how much the doctor hates me." Makino sighed, again.

"Right Captain. I'm sorry." Shanks patted her shoulder awkwardly.

- - -

Shanks was unaccustomed to only having one arm. It was very difficult to manage at times, but thankfully, he had mastered the skills of motor perception. Therefore, there wasn't all that much to learn over again, but it was still a drastic change for him.

One thing that irked him was that the last conscious thought before that beast chomped off his left arm was that Makino had held his right one. Originally, the beast was going to chomp off right arm, but after Shanks remembered that, he unconsciously switched to his left side.

Now that he thought about it, he was pretty glad that he had shifted. He was right-handed. Therefore, it would be even easier now to adjust, because he could still easily write. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.

However, it still perturbed him as to why he thought of Makino when he was near death. That was strange. You would think he might have recalled a memory with Luffy, or maybe Ben. But Makino, the barmaid, that served them beer? She was the least likely. He shook these thoughts out of his crammed cranium, and tried to focus on lighter subjects.

The morning of the disaster, he had awakened to find Makino gone. After an inquiry to Ben, he found out that she had left, for she had to run the bar. He felt somewhat relieved that she had just gone for business, not because she was frightened of him.

When he had gone to his desk to finish organizing, he found that they were already sorted and neat in piles on his desk. He had gone to ask Ben again, and the big thug shrugged.

"_Maybe Makino?_" he had suggested. Now, as he looked back, he realized that it couldn't have been anyone else. No one else would dare touch his things, but Makino didn't know.

He remembered that when he had heard Ben's idea, he had rushed back to see if the letter to her had been read. But thankfully, he found it stuck to Luffy's letter, apparently untouched. He didn't know why, but he was very sensitive about his private thoughts.

Truth be told, he knew by now that he obviously felt something for Makino. Reflecting the past only made him realize more so. Thinking about her at the most inappropriate moments, spending so much private time with her, _kissing her_…there was definitely something there. It was no use denying it.

If it were even remotely possible, Shanks felt like he needed to protect her. Not that she needed protecting. He reminisced on the day they had met, and how she had defended herself and Luffy, even when the mayor was afraid of them.

He felt like a little boy again, when puberty had just hit. It was like a physical and spiritual attraction. He had never encountered such a strong emotion before. For a member of the opposite gender, she certainly had all the qualities he could ask for.

Desire. Maybe that was it. He wouldn't, and couldn't, know. He hadn't had that much experience with females. He didn't know how to describe it adequately, and the anxiety he felt at times when they were alone was disturbing.

He shrugged it off. The attitude he sported could not be disrupted by these unsettling thoughts. He forced a smile and looked at Makino, who had just once again held up the hat for inspection. He grinned at the condition of his hat.

"Well done, Makino," he commented. Makino nodded in acknowledgment of his compliment. However, she gave one more skeptical look before she set it on his head, and spun around in her chair.

"Captain?" she asked. He frowned at the usage of the term.

"Makino, the name's Shanks. _Use it_," he ordered, emphasizing the 'use it'. Makino looked at him like he was crazy. Shanks continued. "So, yes?"

"When do you…plan to leave?" She just had to bring up the subject. Otherwise, he would be the one to scare her, and she couldn't have that.

Shanks looked at her for a while, expressionless. His gaze was starting to make her uncomfortable. She twitched in her seat, and toyed with her fingers. He didn't bat an eyelash, than heaved a sigh.

"Honestly, Makino, if I stay here I won't know," he answered gloomily. Then, he looked up and gave her a pained look. "Why, are you that eager to get rid of me?" Makino was taken aback by his abrupt frankness.

"No, Captain!" she protested, panicking inside. '_Exactly the opposite, actually,_' she commented to herself as an afterthought. Both were so absorbed in their thoughts, that they didn't bother seeing the emotions written all over each other's faces, no discretion whatsoever.

The doorbell rang, and Makino hastily leapt up, knocking back the chair. Shanks, startled, got up and picked up the chair, brushing against Makino's skirt. They froze together, and their eyes slowly met.

The bell rang repeatedly, until the pair was finally jolted out of their thoughts. Makino hurried to get it, leaving the dazed Shanks behind to collect his jumbled thoughts.

As Makino sprinted to the door, miscellaneous items fell down haphazardly in her trail. When she finally opened the door for the whole crew, and Luffy, they gaped at her. She was sweaty and panting, and the house looked like a tornado hit it. They _possibly _could have gotten the wrong idea.

"Hey!" she said, and gestured for them to come in. As she led the parade to Shanks' room, she scooped up the fallen objects and placed them in their proper places.

As they crowded into the room, the pirate captain was showered with gifts. "Thank you…" he said gratefully, as he strained to see over the boxes. They chorused, "You're welcome!" in unison.

Makino and Luffy watched over the crew bawl like babies, then joke like old men, smiling at the scene. Well, really, Makino smiled, and Luffy pouted. Before Makino could restrain him, he pounced on Shanks and wailed, "**I'm so sorry, Captain Shanks!**"

Shanks patted the child on the back awkwardly, until one of the men, Yasopp she believed, pried the boy off the captain. He handed the weeping kid to Makino, who gave him a hug.

After the waterworks, Ben ushered the men out the door, nodding at Makino. He rummaged through his coat pocket, and dug out a piece of paper. He handed it to her, and she took it curiously. It was sealed. She tried to peek inside, but gave up after several unsuccessful tries.

"Thanks for having us,"Ben said, his deep voice rumbling.

Instinctively, Makino replied, "No problem." Really, though, it was a problem for her. She wasn't ready to have Shanks leave. To be brutally honest to herself, she knew that that wouldn't happen.

- - -

**The Day of Departure**

Makino stood at the dock, observing Luffy argue playfully with Shanks, her red-haired pirate captain. Yes, her's. Although she hadn't admitted her feelings to the pirate, she knew now what she had felt. After eight long hours at night and approximately six cups of coffee, and rereading the letter Ben had given her a hundred times, she **finally **understood. Now, she was just waiting for a chance to pull him aside and tell him.

Ben stood just slightly behind her, and she felt his large hands enclosed over her shoulder. "I know what you're feeling." The voice so resembling thunder startled her.

She turned around to face the first mate. "What _am_ I feeling?" she asked him, although the question was somewhat directed to herself.

"Just tell him you want to talk to him," the man said. It was amazing how direct this man was. Incredibly articulate and observanttoo. She looked at him doubtfully.

"But what if he doesn't want to hear me?" she asked. He looked at her thoughtfully, then glanced at the captain.

"He wants to hear." Makino looked at the man, then tiptoed and pecked him on the cheek. His face was all red, but his lips and eyes were smiling.

Embracing him one last time, she whispered, "Thanks a lot, Ben. You're a really good friend, and it was nice knowing you. I hope our paths will cross again." She meant it.

Ben looked at Shanks again, and grinned a mischievous little smile. He whispered into her ear, "I know how to hurry things up for you." He kissed her lightly on the lips.

Shanks turned to see Makino kiss Ben's cheek, and the two embrace, and _kiss, _and a flood of envy filled the man. Of course, being such a generous and soft man, he didn't really **know **what jealousy was, so he half-stormed and half-walked toward the two.

He pulled a laughing Makino aside, andglared into her sparkling eyes. Much to Ben and Makino's amusement, the man growled, "Makino?"

"Yes?"

"What were you doing with my first mate?" Shanks' sudden uncharacteristic mood made Makino giggle softly.

"Nothing, Captain. What, are you jealous?" she queried. Shanks huffed.

"No. Of course not. I just can't stand sadistic women like you." Makino had to strain herself to suppress the giggles ready to erupt in her throat. Shanks was so cute angry.

"Well, maybe this will make you feel better." Makino leaned up and brushed her lips against Shanks'. The man eyes widened in surprise at her sudden action, than closed to savor the moment. The first mate laughed, and turned away to help load the cargo onto the ship.

As they parted, Shanks asked her, "What was that for?" Makino smiled at captain.

"Remember the question you asked me?" she asked him, curious to find out if he still remembered. Shanks paused, and nodded.

"Of course I do."

Makino lifted her arms and wrapped them around the captain's neck.

"Well, _Shanks_, this is your **Answer**."

* * *

**Author's closing notes**: If anyone could catch the part where she called Shanks by his first name, I would be surprised. But I like to write the little signs of affection such as that. 

Ah, everything seems tied together, doesn't it? I certainly hope it seems that way. I wanted everything to piece together, like the hand-holding, and the letter, and the question... Whatever. Even if it didn't flow together all that well, I hope it was still fluffy enough.


End file.
